News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
Google Chrome is blazingly fast, but I find it annoying that the browser exits when the last tab is closed. Now there’s an extension, named Last Tab Standing, to prevent that from happening.
Link: https://chrome.google.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
Have an old record collection that you’re afraid to play because they wear down over time? This article gives step-by-step instructions on how to inexpensively create playable copies of your records. That way you can keep the master copies safe and pristine but still play the music all you want.
Link: http://mikesenese.com/…
(via Lifehacker)
Users of Google services such as Gmail, Reader, and Voice can now sign in to multiple accounts at the same time and via the same browser window. This is especially useful for those who have more than one gmail account. Unfortunately you’re currently limited to a maximum of 3 simultaneous sign-ins. The linked article has more details as well as links to the official Google announcement and the help pages that explain how to use the feature.
Thanks to Josh for this topic.
Link: http://lifehacker.com/…
If you want to view 3D television at home it’s not necessary to shell out big bucks for new HDMI 1.4 cables. High Speed HDMI 1.3 cables, which many people already own, can support all HDMI 1.4 features except the HDMI Ethernet Channel. It’s the HDMI 1.4 protocol that’s required for 3D television.
Link: http://blogs.consumerreports.org/…
(via The Consumerist)
The nice thing about Apple products is that they’re easy to use. Apple is the master of user interface design. The bad thing about Apple products is when you need to do something they don’t expect you to do. Case in point: I moved my iTunes directory to a different hard drive, removed the old hard drive, and then expected everything to work.
I was able to change the directory in iTunes, no problem, but my library still thought most of the songs were on the old hard drive. I figured I could export the library, make changes, and then import it, but I was wrong. You can export via iTunes, but you can’t import—go figure…. After some investigation, I found the “iTunes Music Library.xml” file (a text file) and changed its entries to reference the new drive. That didn’t work either. After launching iTunes, it un-did the changes.
I learned that iTunes stores the library information in a file named “iTunes Library.itl”, which uses a proprietary binary format and cannot be easily edited. The XML file is generated from the library.
A web search found the linked article, which discusses how to restore an iTunes library from the XML file. The secret is to replace “iTunes Library.itl” with an empty file. iTunes will then recreate the library from “iTunes Music Library.xml”.
Link: http://hifiblog.com/…
The linked article explains how to replace the firmware in your low-cost router, transforming it into a full-featured device. The author used DD-WRT, which supports Linksys and many other brands.
It’s possible to fix water-damaged books, photos, and documents by putting them in the freezer while they’re still wet. They’re essentially freeze-dried by the dehydrating effect of the frost-free freezer. Note that even though the Lifehacker article says to place the book in a plastic bag, you should not seal the bag—the sublimated water vapor has to have somewhere to go.
Link #1: http://lifehacker.com/…
Link #2 (PDF): http://ccaha.punkave.net/…
(via Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts)
So you have a game console that you don’t need anymore. Thinking about selling it on eBay, donating it to charity, or perhaps giving it to a friend? The linked article explains how to remove personal information that may be stored on the console’s hard drive.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
The best way to speed up older computers is by adding more memory. But in lieu of that, replacing the hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD) gives a significant speed benefit. The linked article does note, however, that it’s almost more cost-effective to purchase a new computer.
Link: http://arstechnica.com/…
Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we’ll give up Windows XP when they pry it from our cold, dead fingers. But for those power users who’ve taken the plunge to Windows 7, we introduce “GodMode” to make your life easier. And for those who really want to explore the intricacies of Windows system administration, there’s even more.
Link: http://news.cnet.com/…
(via Slashdot)
The linked article explains the differences between the various USB standards and naming conventions, and also gives some general tips about USB. After reading it, you can amaze your friends with your new knowledge!
Here at the Chad’s News network command center, we use Avast! as our anti-virus program, because it’s free and is more or less mandated by our corporate masters for VPN access. The folks at Avast rolled out an update yesterday, at about 5:15pm Mountain Time, and it had severe problems. The update caused many false positives and crippled the programs that it incorrectly flagged as having the “Win32:Delf-MZG” virus. At 10:50pm Mountain Time, they released an update that fixed the problem.
If you are experiencing this issue, first update Avast! If you saved the corrupted files to “the chest,” you can safely restore them, and that will be that. Here at Chad’s News, however, we were caught by surprise and spent about 8-9 hours “fixing” the problem before finding out that it was all a mistake. Sigh… The linked article contains the official explanation and solution.
